The Voice of God

Proverbs 7:24 Now therefore, listen to me, my children; Pay attention to the words of my mouth.

The late, Pastor Adrian Rogers gave this devotional thought: The United States Government doesn’t teach Treasury agents to detect counterfeit bills by having them study fakes. They show these agents real dollars over and over and over until they have the pattern memorized. Then, when a counterfeit is put in front of them, they recognize it instantly because it doesn’t fit the pattern their eyes are looking for. Do you know the voice of the Lord? The only way you can be sure that it is His voice you are hearing is to hear it so often that a stranger’s voice is instantly recognizable. It is far wiser to spend time learning the One True Voice than it is trying to learn to detect a multitude of false voices.

Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed (happy, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather. But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night. And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity].

The Lord instructs us to listen, to pay attention, to hear and heed His voice in the reading of His word given in the Holy Scriptures of the Bible. Why? Because, there are counterfeit voices in this world marketplace of ideas and opinions which are seeking everything from love, joy and peace through distractions from God, to power, position, and prosperity apart from the Lord, in selfish ambition, self-dependence, self-sufficiency and self-centered pride that defies God’s sovereign will and way, while luring and tempting others to do the same. This is done mostly through subtle omissions, compromises and mis-interpretations of God’s word in order to take the precepts, the instructions, and the teachings of God out of context. The result weakens, and can ultimately destroy, one’s faith, in confusion and uncertainty. Instead of hearing the voice of God, we are hearing a different voice.

Romans 10:17 "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

I once heard a saying: “Sin will keep you from God’s Word (the Bible), but God’s Word (the Bible) will keep you from sin.” The Lord gives us an ethic & moral code through His holy word that are not standards based upon feelings and lusts (as the secular world does), but upon true love, and meets our true needs. Lust is just an imitation of love. Make no mistake, there is another voice out there vying for your attention, your imagination and your mind, to turn your ears away from the One True Voice of God. Just like the example of the Treasury agents, we must read and study the truth in the Bible to recognize the true voice of our Lord and identify clearly the false voices of unbelief.

John 6:67-69 - So Jesus said to the Twelve, "Do you want to go away as well?" Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God."

When you take anything from the earthly realm and make it your God, it becomes a demon. But this is exactly what those who do not know the Lord and the true gospel of Jesus Christ are doing, preaching and teaching. God is love; not love is God. Joy ceases to when it is an end in itself, instead of a natural product of an end (such as in the “joy of our salvation”). God’s word given in Holy Scriptures of the Bible is the voice that we all need to be listening to and hearing daily for the truth on how to live in true love, joy and peace.

John 17:16-18 Jesus prayed, “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.”

Our Creator, Father God sent his Son Jesus Christ, as a free gift, to pay the penalty for our sins and give us eternal life in heaven. What else higher could God do for those who are on the wide road to destruction in hell? May we remember from what great heights we all have fallen and the great lengths that our Maker has come, in giving us a Savior, to redeem our soul, regenerate our spirit, replace our heart, and restore our relationship with Him? Rejoice this Christmas for what God has already done for us in the encarnate visitation of God in the birth of Christ Jesus, the exemplary life of Christ, the atoning death of Christ, the conquering resurrection of Christ to the right hand of God to intercede for us. This is the message that the world needs to hear. This is the voice that the world needs to hear.

Merry Christmas, Brian